BEREA, Ohio -- Browns receiver Josh Gordon plans to close out 2013 with a bang in Pittsburgh, more like the player that's leading the league with 1,564 receiving yards this season than the one that dropped two clutch passes against the Jets last week and failed to secure a third.

"Disappointment? Definitely,'' said Gordon, unanimously voted Browns Player of the Year by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. "I want to do the best that I can do and I never want to let anyone down and miss a play. I always want to be a guy that can be relied on. It seems as though I've missed a few plays the past few games and it seemed out of character for me. I can't really say what it was. I don't even know, but it wasn't in my character."

Two weeks ago against the Bears, Pro Bowl cornerback Tim Jennings limited Gordon to two catches for 24 yards until the final minute of the game, and during last week's 24-13 loss to the Jets, first-round pick Dee Milliner shut down him for three quarters, holding him to three receptions until the last 15 minutes.

Overall, Gordon has been targeted 26 times the past two games -- and has caught only nine passes for about 35%.

Granted, he finished with six receptions for 97 yards last week, but his missed opportunities in the end zone and another drop at the Jets' 20 overshadowed the final numbers.

"We talked about last week’s game'' said quarterback Jason Campbell. "I said, 'every player has those games, you just can’t get stuck on it. Bounce back this week and go out and perform in practice and move on and just challenge yourself to be that elite receiver that you want to be.''

On the Browns second drive against the Jets, a wide-open Gordon caught and then dropped a slant at the New York 20 -- the kind of catch he makes effortlessly every week. Had he held on, it could've gone for a TD and a 10-0 lead.

"It was definitely one of those situations, you try to leave and run and make a play before you hold onto the ball,'' said Gordon. "That's a big deal for receivers.''

Later in the drive, Milliner knocked one away from him at the goal-line, and then Gordon -- still singled up with Milliner -- dropped a 1-yard fade on the left side of the end zone on third down -- another catch he makes 99 times out of 100.

"The first one just slipped out of my hands,'' said Gordon. "I’m not really sure why I dropped that one.''

So reliable is Gordon in those situations that offensive coordinator Norv Turner came back with the exact same play on fourth and one -- but Gordon juggled the ball in the end zone before skittering out of bounds and it was ruled incomplete.

"The second one I thought I caught it, but I guess the way I turned away from his view -- the referee’s view -- he couldn’t make a call on it, so I’m not sure,'' said Gordon.

Like Campbell, Gordon -- the Browns' only big playmaker that day with Jordan Cameron (concussion) out -- admitted he tried too hard for the kill shot.

"You definitely get that feeling, yeah,'' Gordon said. "I’ve gotten that feeling a few times in games where you just want to do too much and make too many plays sometimes and just force it a little bit. That actually might be a valid point.''

Campbell acknowledged that Gordon, who set the Browns' franchise record this season with his 1,564 yards, is still a work in progress in his second season.

"He’s still a receiver that’s learning on the go,'' said Campbell. "He’s had some outstanding games this year, (but) there’s still some things he can continue to keep working on, continue to keep improving and really sky’s the limit for a guy like him. How good can he really be? Just talking to him, that’s the challenge I would have for him to himself -- 'how great you want to be?' Because he has all the ability, and week-in, week-out he’s putting up numbers.''

As Gordon went in the Jets game, so went Campbell, who unraveled in the second half and threw two interceptions.

"At times, you’re trying to be perfect, put it right where you want to put it, just make things a little easier (for him),'' said Campbell. "At the same time, like coach (Norv Turner) said, you can’t do that, you’ve just got to play, just play the game. Like I told Josh, he had a great stretch of games there, he broke all kinds of NFL records and everything and to have that kind of game week in and week out, you don’t see that all the time. It’s just something that happens. I told him just finish out the season the right way, let’s do this together and move on.''

Gordon, who's been challenged by good man-to-man coverage in recent weeks, acknowledged that he needs the same effort every week.

"You can never have too much consistency (and) I don't think I have enough of it,'' Gordon said. "I’m glad where I’m at right now, but I think I could always do a lot better.''

He admitted that the season and six-game losing streak have taken a toll on him.

"It's definitely it's a long season, there's a lot of wear and tear, guys are banged up and hurt,'' he said. "I'm feeling real sore, but it's the last week so guys are going to give their last little ounce of energy into the last two days of practice and into this game."

In addition to a chance to spoil the Steelers' playoff hopes, Gordon (80 catches, nine TDs) has the league receiving-yardage title at stake. Despite the fact he missed the first two games while on suspension, he can become the first receiver in Browns history to win the yardage crowned. Currently, he's 72 yards ahead of Detroit's Calvin Johnson (1,492 yards, 84 catches, 12 TDs).

In the first meeting against the Steelers, he set the Browns record with 237 yards on 14 catches, with a 1-yard TD. He broke his own record the following week with 261 yards on 10 catches, including two TDs.

"At this point, I definitely want to make that a goal and finish on the top this season if I can,'' he said.

In addition to the yardage lead, he also tops the NFL with 120.3 yards per game and 19.6 per catch. He's also averaging 48.5 yards on his nine TDs this season and 47.6 yards on his 14 career TDs. This alone, he has TD catches of 74, 95 and 80 yards.

"I think I did, honestly (exceed his own expectations),'' said Gordon. "I was shooting for 1,000, 1,000-plus yards coming into it and to have gotten over that hill, it's definitely just settled in as more of a realistic goal for the future to come, to keep on doing it consistently."

But now that he's looking down at all the receivers he's looked up to, he's not about to stop there. His goal for next season?

"Hands down just be outrightly the best wide receiver in the NFL,'' he said.

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